Emmy Awards Random Thoughts

I have to say, as much criticism as I have for the ending of Lost, I was hoping the actors would get a little Emmy love. I expected Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn to cancel each other out for the best supporting actor Emmy, but I thought Matthew Fox really had a shot of grabbing a much-deserved award. Elizabeth Mitchell unfortunately didn't have a chance against the heavyweights in the guest actress category, though she certainly had just as much right to the Emmy.

Ricky Gervais, how I love thee. You just never know what he's going to say, or how naughty it's going to be, and you're always waiting for that trademark giggle of his to escape. He's just full of so much glee--his exuberant joy at discovering that Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony director Bucky Gunts actually DID win the category after his riff on the guy's name was absolutely priceless.

Alex Skarsgård in all his lofty gorgeousness made True Blood costars Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin look like tiny elves--and then Al Pacino came out and somehow was even tinier. Serpico's not quite so scary now...

Jimmy Fallon's musical numbers on stage and with audience guests like Julianna Margulies, Tom Hanks, and Stephen Colbert were made of win. The Twitter comments Fallon read out--not so much.

Julianna Margulies, Mariska Hargitay, Susan Sarandon, and Christina Hendricks win the Classy and Gorgeous awards.

I'm thrilled that Jim Parsons won a much deserved Emmy award for his role as Sheldon on Big Bang Theory. I also loved that he said he was grateful just to be working, but even more grateful to get to play such an outstanding character. Modern Family gets tons of deserved buzz (yeahy for the Emmy!) but Big Bang Theory is consistently and inventively hilarious.

The In Memoriam was heartbreaking--we lost a lot of wonderful people this year. I was shocked and saddened to see Caroline McWilliams from 80s series Benson; she lost her battle with cancer earlier this year. Jewel's tribute song was lovely, and for once it seemed to deter some of the clapping favoritism--though not all of it.

Over all the Emmy Awards was fast-paced, mildly amusing, and some of the "little people" gave great speeches. As is typical of awards shows, many of the programs that won were series or specials that I haven't seen--which definitely dampens the whole enjoyment of the Emmy Awards. However, the awards do their job in enticing us to check out some of these award winning shows we've missed. I'm definitely curious about Temple Grandin now.

What did you think of the Emmys?

26 Reasons to Watch the MTV VMAs: From A to Jay-Z

Lady Gaga at 2009 MTV VMAs, c2010 Philip Nelson, Wikimedia Commons.

Let's be honest: MTV and videos haven't really had much to do with one another lately, and the VMAs can often be the crudest and lamest show out there. But there's a big feeling of hope this year, with crazy creative types like Lady Gaga landing 13 nominations, and a group of performers that should make things a heck of a lot more entertaining than usual.

On the expected side, you've got sexy Usher and adorable Bieber--but then you've also got Swedish dance pop eccentric Robyn and the fiery and innovative Florence + the Machine. And with Chelsea Handler at the helm, there's a good chance the sex, rock'n'roll and mayhem of the MTV VMAs will actually be entertaining this year.

Not sure about tuning in on September 12? Check out the full list of 26 Reasons to Watch the 2010 MTV VMAs: from A to Jay-Z.

Covert Affairs Pilot Screencaps

These are long overdue, but hopefully you'll still enjoy these Covert Affairs Pilot episode screencaps. There's plenty of sexy, luscious-lipped Piper Perabo here, plus lovely Christopher Gorham, and a taste of the rest of the Covert Affairs "Pilot" cast.

It should be said: SPOILER ALERT!

We begin our Covert Affairs screencaps with Annie Walker (Perabo) and her first day at the CIA, where she meets schmoozer agent Conrad Sheehan III (Eric Lively) and blind tech guru Auggie Anderson (Gorham).

Here we have some CIA office shots, of Annie working with Auggie, and Annie finding out from boss Joan Campbell (Kari Matchett) that she can easily pass for a high class hooker for her next assignment:





Here we have Annie dealing with the slimy contact, whose hoping she'll take that hooker role to heart:

Next on the Covert Affairs pilot is Annie flying through the air to avoid a hail of bullets from a sniper:



Next, Annie has to play her part well enough to fool suspicious (and sexy) FBI agent Vincent Rossabi (Noam Jenkins):




After the job goes bust, Annie, Auggie, and Conrad go out for some much needed R&R. Auggie uses his blindness as pick-up material:



Suspicious about the identity of her contact, Annie gets some translation help from her former university Russian professor Dr. Mark Ramsay (Clarke Peters):

After an eventful trip to the morgue with Auggie, Annie finds herself facing the interrogation of agent Rossabi once again:

Annie works the call girl angle hard, and Rossabi can't help but be affected by her sensual pout and seductive moves:




He's still not falling for it, however, even when Annie continues to feign innocence.

Auggie is just as obnoxiously unhelpful and Rossabi is annoyed:



But after a phone call from the right person, Rossabi has to let Annie go. This may not have worked in her favor, as she runs into the real Russian operative Stas (George Tchortov):


Annie's not going down without a fight, however:



Realistically, she wins the battle but loses the war. A mystery gunman kills Stas, and saves her butt, before disappearing onto the train. Boss Campbell tells Annie the mystery man isn't who she thought it was:

Confused and overwhelmed by her first day, Annie absorbs a little family time with her concerned sister Danielle Brooks (Anne Dudek).



While outside sits the mystery gunman, Annie's ex-lover Ben Mercer (Eion Bailey). Cue suspenseful music...

Hope you enjoyed the Covert Affairs "Pilot" episode screencaps. Watch Covert Affairs every Tuesday night on USA at 10/9c.




PHOTOS: Covert Affairs Pilot episode screencaps, c2010 Dutch Oven, Universal Cable Productions, USA Network.

Covert Affairs Renewed + Steamy Sex Scene

Auggie (Christopher Gorham) gets lucky with an ex on Covert Affairs.

Good news for Piper Perabo, Christopher Gorham, Kari Matchett, Peter Gallagher, and Sendhil Ramamurthy fans--Entertainment Weekly reports that USA newbie hit Covert Affairs has been granted a second season. If you haven't checked out the entertaining CIA drama (with the usual USA blend of wit and sex appeal), definitely give it a look. It's not Shakespeare, but the characters are worth spending time with, and there are some good action elements. You can read my review of the Covert Affairs pilot for more info.

Speaking of action, yummy Christopher Gorham (Auggie) gets his shirt off for a love scene in the upcoming August 24 Covert Affairs episode. EW's Michael Ausselio has the sexy shirtless Gorham pic, as well as the clip to go along with my screencap above, on his blog.

Watch Covert Affairs on USA, Tuesday nights at 10/9c.

Keep up to date with all the latest TV News & Reviews plus more by following @ValerieDavid on Twitter!




PHOTO: Covert Affairs, "Communication Breakdown" screencap, c2010 Dutch Oven, Universal Cable Productions, USA Network.

5 Canceled Series To Nab Emmy Awards?

What do Lost, The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Monk, and The Tudors have in common? We won't see any of these shows next year, despite the fact that they've been rewarded for outstanding elements by the Emmy Awards.

Some programs, like Lost, had a planned demise. Others, like Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show and Old Christine, had more surprise endings. Conan O'Brien is going to be laughing all the way to the Emmy Awards, considering his 7 month stint on the Tonight Show got him a Best Variety Show Emmy nod--and rivals Leno and Letterman were left out in the cold. (Letterman's program is nominated in a couple other categories, for directing and technical direction).

Lost racks up an impressive four acting nods, for Matthew Fox (Jack), Terry O'Quinn (Locke), Micheal Emerson (Ben), and Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet). Mitchell is the first and only Lost gal to get an Emmy nod, and it's in the guest actress category. Whatever works--Mitchell deserves the honors. She's been turning in an amazing and nuanced performance from the moment she appeared on screen.

I'm sure Lost aficionado MsTerri would agree, it's a questionable move by the Emmy Awards voters to bestow a writing nomination for the Lost finale. (Vote in the love-it- or-hate-it Lost finale poll here.) I can argue for best drama Emmy Award, considering how we were all glued to the screens every week, but I'm still feeling immensely let down by the ending.

You can read more about the celebrate final seasons of the shows in my AC-Yahoo! article: 5 Canceled Series to Nab Emmy Awards?

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PHOTO: Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet on Lost, screencap c2010 ABC Studios.